COMMENTARY: What’s the future of affordable housing in Lyons?

Survey respondents support affordable housing on the Eastern Corridor

by Amy Reinholds

At a July 18 meeting, the Lyons Board of Trustees reviewed results from a survey about citizens’ priorities and values toward affordable housing, including annexation of Town-owned property in the Eastern Corridor.

Trustees said they saw support for annexing property from the Eastern Corridor that the Town might be able to buy for affordable housing because 74.6% of respondents said yes to the question “Should the Town purchase and annex property in the Eastern Corridor for the purpose of promoting affordable housing and economic development? (Town owned property does not require a vote for annexation regardless of size.)”

A total of 366 people responded to the online survey that opened at the end of June: 83.9% said they were Town of Lyons residents, and 10.7% said they didn’t live in town limits but lived in the 80540 zip code area.

Trustee Barney Dreistadt said the number of survey respondents was not huge but “is a reasonable number.” He said that the ordinance that requires a vote for private landowners who request annexation of more than 5 acres is based on a ballot initiative that had a lower voter turnout than the number of people who responded to this new survey.

Trustee Dan Greenberg said it was a “positive endorsement of moving forward” that when asked how important it is for affordable housing to be available in Lyons, 65% said it was “essential” or “very important” (41% “essential,” 24% “very important”) and only 13% said it was “not important.” (Also, 21% said affordable housing was “somewhat important.”)

The trustees discussed if the opportunity presented itself to have the Town of Lyons buy and annex a parcel in the Eastern Corridor that was more than 5 acres, would they all feel comfortable moving forward with annexation. All trustees said they felt comfortable moving forward. Even though town-owned property does not require a vote for annexation regardless of size, they talked about how the survey results showed support from the community. See full results of the survey at https://co-lyons.civicplus.com/497/BOT-Surveys-Outreach.

Mayor Connie Sullivan and the Board of Trustees have said the survey was meant to be aninformal way to get input from the public. Survey questions about affordable housing were based on draft survey questions that came from the former Special Housing Committee that worked with the previous Board of Trustees in early 2016.

The previous Board of Trustees, including four members of the current board, had discussed different ideas for what kind of survey about affordable housing would be helpful to the town. They arrived at decision to request that the Special Housing Committee draft questions for a short survey to help future trustees understand what education or outreach is needed about affordable housing. A draft survey was included with the background information that the Special Housing Committee gave the outgoing trustees in April (before the trustees sunset the housing committee and passed the affordable housing resolution).

At a June 6 Board of Trustees meeting, Mayor Sullivan asked trustees to review an updated survey that included a question about the annexation of property in the Eastern Corridor to promote affordable housing and economic development. The Eastern Corridor is the part of the Lyons Primary Planning Area that is eligible for future annexation to Lyons (based on an intergovernmental agreement that the Town of Lyons has with Boulder County). The Eastern Corridor includes land that is currently outside town limits, east of McConnell Drive and Stone Canyon Drive, out to Highland Drive (on Highway 66 east of Highway 36), including the 85-acre Loukonen property that abutts Highway 36.

Last year, when the Town of Lyons submitted a proposal that included affordable housing and a safe haven community center as part of the National Disaster Resilience Competition, the Town entered into option-to-buy contracts for two parcels on the eastern corridor: the former Longmont water treatment land on the north and south sides of Hwy 66, and the Ernst property: the Shady Lane mobile home park near the eastern intersection of Highland Drive and Highway 66. It turned out that Colorado wasn’t awarded any funds from that competition, but the work completed for that proposal can still be useful to the town if other funding sources are found.

The Lyons community also recently participated in the Eastern Corridor Primary Planning Area planning process in March and April, providing input on future land use in that area, whenever future landowners apply to annex to Lyons. Affordable housing, senior housing, small cottages, and mixed residential, business, and retail use were some of the land uses that the public strongly supported for the Eastern Corridor. The Primary Planning Area planning process, also including areas to the North and West of Lyons, is planned to be completed this fall.

Also, at Monday’s Board of Trustees meeting, Town Administrator Victoria Simonsen reported during Town Staff reports about two market-rate lower-priced rental housing units in town. Erin and Adam Ross, who own rental property at 224 Seward St, have submitted a new application to replace two damaged mobile homes that they own and rent, this time mentioning that the damage was due to a weather event, the intense rains in 2013. Simonsen said the town intends that this replacement should be allowed.

The property is only zoned as three R-1 residential lots (which would allow 3 housing units), but it has been used for 14 units (both mobile homes and motel-style apartments) for many years. Therefore, the current owners would normally need to apply for rezoning to higher density if they removed and replaced housing units. The damage from weather events is an exception. After the two damaged mobile homes are replaced, Simonsen said the owners will be able to do routine maintenance or repair but not replacement (without rezoning to higher density) unless it’s due to a weather event.

Keep up with upcoming Board of Trustees and PCDC meetings and all town meetings, which are open to the public and posted on the town calendar at www.townoflyons.com/calendar.aspx. And keep following my columns in both Lyons papers for news about accomplishments to increase affordable housing stock in Lyons. For history of post-flood efforts for affordable housing in Lyons, you can read previous Lyons Recorder columns at www.lyonsrecorder.com/index.php/opinions/40-housing. If you have any questions, comments, or complaints about this column, please contact me directly at areinholds @hotmail.com.

Amy Reinholds served on the Lyons Housing Recovery Task Force from December 2013 through its end in February 2015. She is currently a member of the Lyons Human Services and Aging Commission and served as a liaison to the Special Housing Committee in the past year. She has lived in Lyons since 2003 and in the surrounding Lyons area since 1995.

COMMENTARY: What’s the fix for affordable housing in Lyons?

Four updates after seven months

By Amy ReinholdsRedstone Review

LYONS – I have updates in four areas this month about affordable housing: two Habitat for Humanity proposals, the application for the National Disaster Resiliency Competition for a new neighborhood with affordable housing, and an upcoming survey to help Lyons elected officials and staff make decisions about affordable housing policy.

Proposed neighborhood east of Hwy 36 and Hwy 66

The Planning and Community Development Commission (PCDC) and the Board of Trustees discussed the vision for housing in the planning area east of town at a combined workshop Nov. 9. Language in the Lyons Comprehensive Plan already allows for an “employment area” land use type in the eastern corridor that includes complementary uses to meet the needs of employees including “high-density residences.” Commissioners and trustees discussed clarifying the vision, and the topic is set for future PCDC agendas.

The town has applied for funds from the National Disaster Resiliency Competition for affordable housing as part of a new neighborhood and community center at former Longmont water treatment plant and the surrounding area. The town applied with the State of Colorado, and awarded funds will be announced by late January.

Possible Habitat for Humanity duplex on Railroad Avenue

At a Nov. 2 workshop, the trustees supported town staff pursuing more information about the possibilities for a Habitat for Humanity duplex at Railroad and Third Avenues. Cody Humphrey, Lyons housing recovery coordinator, gave an update about a possible duplex on the triangular 0.2 acre parcel, east of the post office, which he has been exploring with David Emerson, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of the St. Vrain Valley.

The parcel is part of the railroad right-of-way land that the Town of Lyons purchased in 1986 and is zoned R-2, a zoning that allows residential use. The current use as a parking lot is actually considered a non-compliant use, according to the town’s R-2 zoning regulations.

Six proposed Habitat for Humanity homes on the south end of the former Valley Bank site

The PCDC decided to continue the public hearing for final rezoning and subdivision of Park Street and Second Avenue to Nov. 23, allowing more time for some final steps to be completed. The application is to subdivide the currently zoned B-Business zone into one PUD-C Commercial lot for the existing former bank building, and six new single-family lots zoned as PUD-R Residential for three duplexes along the north side of Park Street. On Nov. 2 the trustees unanimously approved the second reading of the preliminary plan for subdivision, including recommended conditions from the PCDC, but additional items must be completed by the final rezoning and subdivision steps.

Back in June, the trustees voted unanimously to waive the tap fees and water share fees that they have control over for the 6 proposed Habitat for Humanity homes, totaling about $173,500 in savings, helping Habitat for Humanity meet its permitting and fees budget, which helps keeps mortgages down to around $150,000 for homeowners. Current owner Craig Ferguson has a contract to sell the six lots for $50,000 each to Habitat for Humanity, pending the final subdivision process.

The delay also gives Emerson time to get direction from the Colorado Habitat for Humanity Board allocations of the current round of federal disaster recovery funds awarded to Habitat for Humanity, which affects the timing of funding of the Lyons project. There will be another chance for the public to give input on the rezoning and subdivision at the November 23 PCDC meeting.

If the PCDC approves the final rezoning and subdivision, then it could go to the trustees for final approval in December.

Town staff is looking into an agreement between the Town of Lyons and the City of Boulder or the City of Longmont, which both have affordable home-ownership programs, so those departments could serve as agent for Lyons to administer the resale requirements to meet the covenant of deed restrictions.

Upcoming affordable housing survey

If all goes as planned, Lyons residents will have an opportunity to say how they feel about affordable housing in Lyons in a survey that the Special Housing Committee is working on for the end of 2015 or early 2016. Results are expected to shape a Town of Lyons affordable housing policy. The special housing committee has arranged pro-bono survey creation and administration from a research firm that assists government and nonprofit sections with public opinion research.

This is the 8th month that I’ve been writing my “What’s the fix for affordable housing in Lyons?” column in the Redstone Review. So far, no new affordable housing has been created in Lyons since the September 2013 flood, but there are some proposals underway that could happen. In case you can’t tell from my the column heading, this is a column, or a commentary, which means that I include my opinion and my personal observations. I have asked both Lyons papers to label it as commentary, but sometimes the label is missed, or the headlines are changed.

If you have any questions, comments or complaints about this column, please contact me directly at areinholds@hotmail.com. I can handle it. People in the Lyons community who have lost their homes have gone through a lot more than I ever will writing for newspapers! I aim to keep writing this column at least until the first affordable housing after the flood breaks ground in Lyons.

Keep following my columns in both Lyons papers for news about any accomplishments to increase affordable housing stock in Lyons. The next meeting of the special housing committee is scheduled for Nov. 18 at the Town Hall annex (behind the Barking Dog Cafe) from 5:30-7 p.m. All housing committee meetings are open to the public. Check the town calendar at www.townoflyons.com.

Amy Reinholds served on the Lyons Housing Recovery Task Force from December 2013 through its end in February 2015. She is currently a member of the Lyons Human Services and Aging Commission and serves as a liaison to the special housing committee. She has lived in Lyons since 2003 and in the surrounding Lyons area since 1995.

COMMENTARY: What’s the fix for affordable housing in Lyons?

LYONS – In the past month, Lyons has seen some movement toward two opportunities for affordable housing: one small 6-home proposed Habitat for Humanity project that was already known, and one new funding opportunity for a possible mix of 100 affordable homes in the eastern planning area.

Public hearings for the subdivision and rezoning of 304 Second Ave, the former Valley Bank site that would allow 6 residential lots to be sold to Habitat for Humanity, were scheduled. And, by Oct. 5, the preliminary sketch plan phase was approved by both the Planning and Community Development Commission (PCDC) and the Board of Trustees. The next round of public hearing meetings consider a preliminary subdivision plat and PUD plan for the project, scheduled for Oct. 12 for the PCDC and Oct. 19 for the Board of Trustees. If the process moves forward, the last phase considers the final approval of rezoning, subdivision plat, and PUD plan for the project. Public hearings are scheduled Oct. 26 for the PCDC and Nov. 2 for the Board of Trustees. The meetings start at 7 p.m. at town hall.

The surprising news in the past month is that Lyons is eligible to apply for $6.75 million for a Lyons Resilient Replacement Housing development in the planning area east of town as part of the National Disaster Resiliency Competition, funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). As previously reported, Lyons is under contract to purchase the former Longmont water treatment plant sites on both the north and south sides of Colo. 66, east of U.S. 36.

Cody Humphrey, Lyons Housing Recovery Coordinator, told the trustees at their Oct. 5 meeting that the State of Colorado is applying for proposals on behalf of 13 municipalities, already identified as having merit to make it to phase two of the competition. Lyons staff have created a proposal for new housing outside the 100-year floodplain for displaced residents and others who make up the fabric of Lyons. The proposal is combined with a Lyons community center that can serve as both a gathering place and a safe haven from future disasters and integrates solar and micro-grid technology to allow operating off-the-grid in future disasters. The new neighborhood is proposed to include 50-60 affordable housing units, housing lots for 30-40 manufactured housing units that would be available for a mobile home park, 10 for-sale affordable housing units. In addition, a recommendation in the proposal is to include commercial development (which that area was already designated for) and up to 30 market-rate homes, all connected to downtown with transportation and a regional bike path. If Lyons wins the competition, and the town acquires land, the town would send out requests for proposals for developers of new housing. There would still be many more steps in the process.

The town had previously designated the eastern town planning area for increasing businesses and commercial opportunities in town. Lyons will have a Economic Development Administration grant to run water and sewer to the eastern corridor. The town also has applied for federal disaster recovery funds for several flood recovery items (including purchasing the the water treatment plant sites), but those funds have not been awarded yet. These new resiliency competition funds might be another opportunity to pay costs for the land acquisition for housing, in addition to other development costs.

Trustees expressed the importance of getting public support for considering housing in the eastern Lyons planning area, and encouraged a community discussion. In a letter emailed to town residents, the trustees asked the public to submit input. Also, a Board of Trustees workshop for a Swiftwater Rescue Facility and Affordable Housing Summary related to the resiliency competition was scheduled for Oct. 12.

“We need to have a conversation with the town to see if this is even something the town wants to support,” Trustee Connie Sullivan said at the Oct. 5 meeting.

If these two housing proposals continue to move forward, there will finally be some new housing stock that people who make less than 50% of the area median income can afford (helping people who make less than approximately $33,000 a year for individuals or $48,000 a year for a family of 4), making up for what was lost in the flood. And not only that, but we could also gain a new community center and a new trails system that everyone in all our neighborhoods could enjoy.

The special housing committee also gave a report at the Oct. 5 Board of Trustees meeting about a plan to survey the community to identify support for affordable housing, including location, housing type, and density. The trustees were very supportive and said it was good timing to fit with the community discussion for the resiliency grant that Humphrey described. Housing committee chair Justin Spencer said the input would be incorporated into an affordable housing policy, and would be available to guide town decisions about future affordable housing. The goal is to complete the survey results by end of the year and draft an affordable housing policy in January.

Keep following my columns in both Lyons papers for updates about what has and has not been accomplished to increase affordable housing stock in Lyons. Special housing committee meetings are the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month at the Town Hall annex (behind the Barking Dog Cafe) from 5:30-7 p.m. All housing committee meetings are open to the public and agendas and minutes are published at www.townoflyons.com.

Amy Reinholds served on the Lyons Housing Recovery Task Force from December 2013 through its end in February 2015. She is currently a member of the Lyons Human Services and Aging Commission and serves as a liaison to the special housing committee. She has lived in Lyons since 2003 and in the surrounding Lyons area since 1995.

Editor/Author of this blog

Amy Reinholds served on the Housing Recovery Task Force in Lyons, Colo., from December 2013 through its end in February 2015. She is currently a member of the Lyons Human Services and Aging Commission and served as a liaison to the Special Housing Committee during its existence from April 2015-April 2016. She has lived in Lyons since 2003 and in the surrounding Lyons area since 1995.